1. Does it not feel like this year is the year ESPECIALLY that everyone goes crazy with spring training stats. It will be one of these two scenarios - Royals doing well “NEW COACHES HAVE EVERYTHING FIXED”. Or Royals struggle “NEW COACHES HAVEN’T FIXED ANYTHING”. I can just see it especially this year with all the new faces on the coaching staff. Lol.
2. Keller……I get it. I hope for the best with him. I know we want to dog the old coaches…but some things fall on the player. Keller doesn’t get a pass for not knowing about analytics before this offseason. He was more than capable to go to Driveline before the offseason before he hits the open market. Yes, a lot on the Royals, but dude….Driveline has been around for a while now. You don’t get a pass from me for being ignorant…or not working to get better until literally the season before you become a free agent.
3. Arbitration…..I don’t get it from the teams prospective. I just don’t get why you possibly piss off Singer, Burnes….whoever over what amounts to peanuts. I hope it doesn’t hurt the Royals chances with Singer, but he hasn’t signed a long term deal yet….so it certainly didn’t help. It’s bad business, I don’t get why they don’t see it. It’s not just the Royals….all teams….its bad business.
I think there will be a lot of very fast stat scouting, and you're absolutely right why. The Royals are pulling off an incredible A/B test that would make marketers proud. They only changed one variable. They kept the majority of the pitching staff in place (as much as any sports team can) and changed the coaches. So it's very easy to compare. But yeah, it seems like it could get rough out here.
You're also absolutely right that Keller doesn't get a pass, but just like with the Royals doing the right thing too late, he should get some credit for coming around. Maybe not a ton, but some. Some players are more naturally curious than others. A good leader can determine what his or her subordinates need and the Royals previous leadership didn't determine that Keller needed that push. It was probably because they didn't think he needed it, which is another part of the same story. People need to take charge of their careers for sure, in all areas.
And you know I'm with you on arbitration, and I obviously think there needs to be a change to the system. The one saving grace for Royals fans is it doesn't seem like the Royals trials are as contentious as others. Maybe the guys are just quieter about it, but Singer spoke about the trial and he was either working hard to not crap on the organization or he just didn't have an issue with what happened even though he was disappointed in the result. So that's something, I guess.
The interesting thing with Arb is that Picollo was under DM for a long time. Of the things DM did right…not going to Arb with guys was one of the better things he did. You would think Picollo would have followed that lead. Made me wonder if that wasn’t coming from above a little bit. Could be Picollo trying to show things will be different as well and using Singer as a possible example. Don’t love it. But we’ll see.
Things changed for a lot of teams a few years ago. I don’t remember the catalyst for it but a bunch of teams that would never go to arb started. Maybe it was the CBA before this most recent one.
Did the previous regime not want him going to driveline? Not making excuses for him, but I specifically remember Matheny seemingly slighting Bubic for doing his own thing in the offseason and not doing exactly what Cal wanted..
Regarding Driveline I think I read a comment that they have technology that is not available to the Royals. I am curious if that is for all MLB teams. Do any teams have their technology in house or do all players need to seek out Driveline on their own? Is it a cost issue for the Royals? My thinking is the Mets likely have the technology or will have it soon if they do not already.
Agree with your arbitration argument. Why tick off Singer over $375K? I understand that this sets his bar higher for next year but my guess is this time next year this will be the same battle. I do not think any team would want to go to arbitration with a player every year until that player hits FA status.
I don’t know the full answer to your question, but I know many teams don’t have the same technology Driveline does. But I also think there’s not really a huge need to have it as long as players are encouraged to use their services. I don’t know. Just doesn’t seem like that big of a deal though it would be nice, I guess. And it’s not like they’re running out there with stop watches and clipboards. They’ve got technology in place. There was a story about the cameras regarding Lynch just the other day.
"Matt Beaty is an infielder." He can get on base, or he has in the past. He has hit for power in the past. It seems like last year was a wash for him, but he is certainly able to be better than Hunter Dozier, though that is a LOW bar to get over.
Are we just sleeping on the idea that Beaty can be better than Carmago and Duffy? Looking at their respective Baseball Reference pages, I think Beaty would have a better shot at being productive for the team, at least on the offensive end than any of the others. Is his defense that bad, or is Carmago's that good?
I had Beaty on my roster projection last week. I think he makes the team. But he's also limited to first base and corner outfield and he's a bad outfielder. So he and Camargo/Duffy (I had Duffy making the team) aren't really part of the same conversation.
David - a few years back I heard Brian Bannister offer another reason why spring training numbers can be so deceiving: often in a particular outing or in multiple outings, pitchers are working on one specific pitch and so they throw it far more often than they would in a real game, which of course can distort their statistics.
Further, batters are often quick to pick up on that so they know what pitch is likely coming or at least what to look for. And that of course distorts their stats as well.
We would all be well-advised to remember that spring training games may look like real regular-season baseball, but quite often they're really not.
I love the love for Eaton! Yeah, it was limited, but that limited time had him as probably the 3-4th player on the team depending on what you value the most! But the thing I appreciated most about him was he provided DITRH - diamond in the rough hope! Kinda like Colin Snider at the beginning of the year. We all expect BWJ, Melendez, Gavin and some others to be home runs... BUT with swing and misses as bad as Crow, Zimmer, Starling, Dozier (hoping he doesn't stay on this list) some unexpected hits like a Vinnie and Nate are just what the Dr ordered for this fan! If we could get unexpected finds and legitimate big leaguers in Vinnie and Nate - that's over 20% of the lineup. Throw in Salvy, Melendez, BWJ, now over half the lineup is legit!
The Keller article - when I read that line I thought "damn, it was that bad?" I mean the whole moneyball thing started at least two decades ago and our Royals aren't 'that interested' in analytics. Okay then...
Yeah, I think Eaton is one of those guys you can dream on and, honestly, one of those guys you need. Even if he's a defense guy who can steal a base (think someone like Jarrod Dyson, who was pretty important on those teams), he's useful. If the bat comes around and he's good enough to play 120 games, that would be amazing for the development of this roster. I think he has a big league floor because of that defense, but I don't think it'd be impossible for him to become a quality big league hitter.
I was waiting for a Dyson comparison! May not be identical players by any means, but I think what Eaton can bring to the team with his play could be similar. And his offensive ceiling is definitely higher, as you've said. Easy guy to like. Like Dyson. Miss that guy..
I know it's early, but I'd like to hear your opinion on the changes, additions and improvements the pitchers have made. In the sense that from what I've heard, a lot of it has been initiated by the pitcher. We've heard from Lynch and Keller that what they were thinking needed to be done was re-enforced by the staff. Not that the staff insisted they do this or throw that. This really makes one wonder if this has been happening the last several seasons. And if it has, it makes one wonder if those changes were snuffed out by the previous staff (ie you need better fastball command before we worry about throwing that pitch). Just something I've been thinking about and piecing together the more we've heard from pitchers and staff.
I don't know the answer to who is initiating. I can tell you that guys like Daniel Lynch and Kris Bubic for sure have always been very intellectually curious when it comes to pitching. Keller even said himself that he really hasn't been. I think a lot of the changes have come from joint conversations, if I had to guess. When Quatraro and Sweeney and the gang reached out in the offseason to introduce themselves, I'd guess there were a lot of conversations about what guys do well, what they don't and how they can accentuate what they do well and fix what they don't, and I think that's led to a lot of the changes. I do think the previous staff was a huge issue in not fostering that intellectual curiosity and maybe even stifling it at times.
Couple thoughts on todays article. :)
1. Does it not feel like this year is the year ESPECIALLY that everyone goes crazy with spring training stats. It will be one of these two scenarios - Royals doing well “NEW COACHES HAVE EVERYTHING FIXED”. Or Royals struggle “NEW COACHES HAVEN’T FIXED ANYTHING”. I can just see it especially this year with all the new faces on the coaching staff. Lol.
2. Keller……I get it. I hope for the best with him. I know we want to dog the old coaches…but some things fall on the player. Keller doesn’t get a pass for not knowing about analytics before this offseason. He was more than capable to go to Driveline before the offseason before he hits the open market. Yes, a lot on the Royals, but dude….Driveline has been around for a while now. You don’t get a pass from me for being ignorant…or not working to get better until literally the season before you become a free agent.
3. Arbitration…..I don’t get it from the teams prospective. I just don’t get why you possibly piss off Singer, Burnes….whoever over what amounts to peanuts. I hope it doesn’t hurt the Royals chances with Singer, but he hasn’t signed a long term deal yet….so it certainly didn’t help. It’s bad business, I don’t get why they don’t see it. It’s not just the Royals….all teams….its bad business.
I think there will be a lot of very fast stat scouting, and you're absolutely right why. The Royals are pulling off an incredible A/B test that would make marketers proud. They only changed one variable. They kept the majority of the pitching staff in place (as much as any sports team can) and changed the coaches. So it's very easy to compare. But yeah, it seems like it could get rough out here.
You're also absolutely right that Keller doesn't get a pass, but just like with the Royals doing the right thing too late, he should get some credit for coming around. Maybe not a ton, but some. Some players are more naturally curious than others. A good leader can determine what his or her subordinates need and the Royals previous leadership didn't determine that Keller needed that push. It was probably because they didn't think he needed it, which is another part of the same story. People need to take charge of their careers for sure, in all areas.
And you know I'm with you on arbitration, and I obviously think there needs to be a change to the system. The one saving grace for Royals fans is it doesn't seem like the Royals trials are as contentious as others. Maybe the guys are just quieter about it, but Singer spoke about the trial and he was either working hard to not crap on the organization or he just didn't have an issue with what happened even though he was disappointed in the result. So that's something, I guess.
The interesting thing with Arb is that Picollo was under DM for a long time. Of the things DM did right…not going to Arb with guys was one of the better things he did. You would think Picollo would have followed that lead. Made me wonder if that wasn’t coming from above a little bit. Could be Picollo trying to show things will be different as well and using Singer as a possible example. Don’t love it. But we’ll see.
Things changed for a lot of teams a few years ago. I don’t remember the catalyst for it but a bunch of teams that would never go to arb started. Maybe it was the CBA before this most recent one.
Did the previous regime not want him going to driveline? Not making excuses for him, but I specifically remember Matheny seemingly slighting Bubic for doing his own thing in the offseason and not doing exactly what Cal wanted..
Regarding Driveline I think I read a comment that they have technology that is not available to the Royals. I am curious if that is for all MLB teams. Do any teams have their technology in house or do all players need to seek out Driveline on their own? Is it a cost issue for the Royals? My thinking is the Mets likely have the technology or will have it soon if they do not already.
Agree with your arbitration argument. Why tick off Singer over $375K? I understand that this sets his bar higher for next year but my guess is this time next year this will be the same battle. I do not think any team would want to go to arbitration with a player every year until that player hits FA status.
I don’t know the full answer to your question, but I know many teams don’t have the same technology Driveline does. But I also think there’s not really a huge need to have it as long as players are encouraged to use their services. I don’t know. Just doesn’t seem like that big of a deal though it would be nice, I guess. And it’s not like they’re running out there with stop watches and clipboards. They’ve got technology in place. There was a story about the cameras regarding Lynch just the other day.
Eaton also had 11 SB’s in that limited playing time. I’d love to see what he could do over a full season.
He's a very good baserunner for sure.
"Matt Beaty is an infielder." He can get on base, or he has in the past. He has hit for power in the past. It seems like last year was a wash for him, but he is certainly able to be better than Hunter Dozier, though that is a LOW bar to get over.
Are we just sleeping on the idea that Beaty can be better than Carmago and Duffy? Looking at their respective Baseball Reference pages, I think Beaty would have a better shot at being productive for the team, at least on the offensive end than any of the others. Is his defense that bad, or is Carmago's that good?
I had Beaty on my roster projection last week. I think he makes the team. But he's also limited to first base and corner outfield and he's a bad outfielder. So he and Camargo/Duffy (I had Duffy making the team) aren't really part of the same conversation.
David - a few years back I heard Brian Bannister offer another reason why spring training numbers can be so deceiving: often in a particular outing or in multiple outings, pitchers are working on one specific pitch and so they throw it far more often than they would in a real game, which of course can distort their statistics.
Further, batters are often quick to pick up on that so they know what pitch is likely coming or at least what to look for. And that of course distorts their stats as well.
We would all be well-advised to remember that spring training games may look like real regular-season baseball, but quite often they're really not.
That's also a huge reason. Back in 2005 or 2006, Greinke spent a whole start just pumping fastballs. He got hit hard. Shocking!
I love the love for Eaton! Yeah, it was limited, but that limited time had him as probably the 3-4th player on the team depending on what you value the most! But the thing I appreciated most about him was he provided DITRH - diamond in the rough hope! Kinda like Colin Snider at the beginning of the year. We all expect BWJ, Melendez, Gavin and some others to be home runs... BUT with swing and misses as bad as Crow, Zimmer, Starling, Dozier (hoping he doesn't stay on this list) some unexpected hits like a Vinnie and Nate are just what the Dr ordered for this fan! If we could get unexpected finds and legitimate big leaguers in Vinnie and Nate - that's over 20% of the lineup. Throw in Salvy, Melendez, BWJ, now over half the lineup is legit!
The Keller article - when I read that line I thought "damn, it was that bad?" I mean the whole moneyball thing started at least two decades ago and our Royals aren't 'that interested' in analytics. Okay then...
Good work as usual Lesky
Yeah, I think Eaton is one of those guys you can dream on and, honestly, one of those guys you need. Even if he's a defense guy who can steal a base (think someone like Jarrod Dyson, who was pretty important on those teams), he's useful. If the bat comes around and he's good enough to play 120 games, that would be amazing for the development of this roster. I think he has a big league floor because of that defense, but I don't think it'd be impossible for him to become a quality big league hitter.
I am rooting for Eaton just based on the eye test, but y - the numbers look pretty good. He is batting .500 this year ;)
I was waiting for a Dyson comparison! May not be identical players by any means, but I think what Eaton can bring to the team with his play could be similar. And his offensive ceiling is definitely higher, as you've said. Easy guy to like. Like Dyson. Miss that guy..
I know it's early, but I'd like to hear your opinion on the changes, additions and improvements the pitchers have made. In the sense that from what I've heard, a lot of it has been initiated by the pitcher. We've heard from Lynch and Keller that what they were thinking needed to be done was re-enforced by the staff. Not that the staff insisted they do this or throw that. This really makes one wonder if this has been happening the last several seasons. And if it has, it makes one wonder if those changes were snuffed out by the previous staff (ie you need better fastball command before we worry about throwing that pitch). Just something I've been thinking about and piecing together the more we've heard from pitchers and staff.
I don't know the answer to who is initiating. I can tell you that guys like Daniel Lynch and Kris Bubic for sure have always been very intellectually curious when it comes to pitching. Keller even said himself that he really hasn't been. I think a lot of the changes have come from joint conversations, if I had to guess. When Quatraro and Sweeney and the gang reached out in the offseason to introduce themselves, I'd guess there were a lot of conversations about what guys do well, what they don't and how they can accentuate what they do well and fix what they don't, and I think that's led to a lot of the changes. I do think the previous staff was a huge issue in not fostering that intellectual curiosity and maybe even stifling it at times.